as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the playful competition over who would get the new office turned into a real dogfight
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dogfight
Last October, the Boston Red Sox went the distance with the Yankees in a dogfight of an American League Wild Card series.
—
Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
These make the aircraft less visible to ground radar and heat sensors, though there has been criticism this will cause problems at high angles of attack in dogfights.
—David Szondy
april 21, New Atlas, 21 Apr. 2026
This was just a great dogfight.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
The real American objective, if war comes, would not be some glorious dogfight over mainland China.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dogfight
Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
These make the aircraft less visible to ground radar and heat sensors, though there has been criticism this will cause problems at high angles of attack in dogfights.
—David Szondy
april 21, New Atlas, 21 Apr. 2026
This was just a great dogfight.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
The real American objective, if war comes, would not be some glorious dogfight over mainland China.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dogfight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dogfight
Noun
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By beginning with 2018, the data isolates a period in which the Chevrolet-Honda rivalry remained important, while the fundamental aerodynamic platform was more consistent across the field.—
Giovanni Malloy,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
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The moment capped a chaotic rivalry game between the reigning Open Division champions and a Kennedy team that was pushing for an upset, with defensive miscues helping shape the late innings for both sides.—
Ethan Hanson,
Daily News,
23 May 2026
Noun
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Decades-long legal battle The Supreme Court decision to overturn Glossip’s conviction and death sentence last year marked a major turning point in his decades-long legal battle.—
Linh Tran,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
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But the frenzied redistricting battle of the past few months — including a congressional map in his home state thrown out by a court after people voted to approve it, and certain elections postponed in Louisiana and Alabama after mail ballots already went out — has done it.—
Miles Parks,
NPR,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Greene later raced toward the line and made a sliding grab on a foul ball, preserving the scoreless duel as neither offense could break through early.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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That means another duel between arguably the two best quarterbacks in the NFL in Mahomes and Allen.—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The Browns are expected to hold a quarterback competition in training camp among Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel, with rookie Taylen Green selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
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Critics portray the movement as politically motivated, but many athletes and parents involved insist their concerns center on competition rather than ideology.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
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In vitro fertilization is a medical procedure that can be used to address several infertility struggles.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
19 May 2026
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Jarrett Allen, much maligned for past playoff struggles, dominated the Pistons with 23 points, seven rebounds, completely outmatching Detroit’s Jalen Duren.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Noun
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George had pushed to reconfigure the Army’s battlefield strategy to incorporate drone warfare and had worked with Ukraine’s military to learn from its experience.—
Stephen Groves,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
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In experiments inspired by drone warfare, his team asked participants to categorize images as civilians or enemy combatants and to choose whether to fire a missile at each potential target.—
Steven Melendez,
Scientific American,
22 May 2026
Noun
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Now, seemingly under pressure from the economic fallout from the war with Iran, Modi has framed ordinary consumer choices, such as buying less petrol and choosing work-from-home, as acts of patriotism.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
21 May 2026
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Tawil hadn’t been home since the war began, nearly six weeks earlier.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
Noun
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As the confrontation escalated, the man can be seen in the video taking his glasses off and becoming physically aggressive toward two of the crew members.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
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Some candidate narratives also push back on the article’s suggestion that voters have little appetite for ideological confrontation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dogfight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dogfight. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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